1: J'ai gardé la voiture de monsieur. Observe Majorin's meanness to the end, and his lame excuse for driving about at Daniel's expense.
2: comme ça: i.e. unable to «bear the burden» of gratitude.
3: le numéro, etc.: a Paris cabman delivers to his fare a paper (carte) on which are printed the number of the cab and a tariff of prices. He is engaged either à la course, i.e. at one fare (generally thirty cents) between any two points within the city limits, or à l'heure, i.e. by the hour at a rate of generally forty cents for the first hour, and so much for each additional quarter of an hour.
4: vous n'y pensez pas: that's out of the question!—Et = «And (what about)…»
5: commandant… commandé: a slip of the tongue showing that Perrichon has the Major «on the brain.» Cf. acte III, scène VII. Try to devise some equivalent pleasantry in English.
EXERCISES FOR COMPOSITION
I
ACT I, SCENE I
1. There are many railroad stations in Paris. 2. They are like[1] the railroad stations in America. 3. There are time-tables, ticket-windows, seats, and bookstalls. 4. An official stands[2] at the waiting-room door and asks to see the passengers' tickets. 5. Another[3] official is near the ticket-window to assist[4] the passengers who are purchasing[5] their tickets before the departure of the express trains. 6. The officials of the great companies are very polite when people[6] are polite to[7] them.
[1: ressembler à.] [2: se tenir.] [3: un autre.] [4: aider.] [5: prendre.] [6: on, followed by the singular.] [7: envers.]